News

The following story was written by Will Dunham and ran in the August 23, 2001, issue of Reuters.

Elephants dwelling in Africa's lush tropical rain forests are genetically distinct from the better-known elephants that roam the continent's grasslands and merit being classified as a separate species, scientists said on Thursday.

The black rhino is critically endangered primarily due to poaching along with inadequate protection in the field. The largest population of the eastern black rhino is found in Kenya and the second largest at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in Tanzania. The population at NCA is now 15 after experiencing recent declines for reasons other than poaching. Some of the rhinos at NCA are ranging outside the crater and there is a need to strengthen the monitoring and protection efforts to cover these new areas.

Another endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) has lost its life, caught in the crossfire in the Virungas.

During the past two months, there has been an increase in fighting between the military of the rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda with militia groups in eastern DRC. Much of the fighting is taking place in the forested Virunga volcanoes, home of the mountain gorillas. Only 350 gorillas can be found in the Virunga Volcanoes, and these endangered animals are coming under increased threat from the fighting.

The transboundary four corners project refers to the Caprivi Strip, the only place in the world where four African countries - Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe - meet. They share the Zambezi River, one of the longest rivers in Africa.

Tarangire National Park has long suffered from a severe staff housing shortage, a shortage so severe, in fact, that in some cases three families live in a single small house. Small detached buildings that were originally constructed as shower rooms and cooking areas have been pressed into service as additional bedrooms, leaving people to bathe and cook outdoors. Both parks have also suffered from a lack of fresh water supplies for park rangers and staff, especially to the remote security posts around the park.